Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones sooner or later face a mysterious phenomenon: the device’s memory is rapidly filling up, and the “Other” section occupies a huge share of storage. This system partition is often called a “black hole”, since it can take up tens of gigabytes, slowing down the gadget and preventing you from installing new applications or taking photos.
It can be difficult to figure out why the Other folder is growing so much, because the standard file manager does not always show the contents of the system caches, but you can not ignore the problem: a crowded drive leads to a freeze in the MIUI or HyperOS interface and can even cause malfunctions in the operating system.
In this article, we will take a closer look at what this section consists of, why it is not cleaned by standard methods, and what safe ways are there to reduce it, how to properly clean memory so as not to delete important data, and what hidden tools the developer offers to maintain the system.
What is hidden in the “Other” section on Android
The Other section (sometimes labeled System or Other) is not a single file, but a collection of data that the system cannot uniquely classify as apps, images or videos, including messenger caches, remnants of remote programs, temporary update files and system services data.
The Android operating system is designed to have many processes running in the background, creating logs and temporary files to speed up work, and over time these files accumulate, and if the automatic cleaning fails, the user sees an inflated “Other” section, especially for smartphone owners with a small amount of internal memory.
It is important to understand that some of the data in this section is critical to operating system operation. Blindly deleting system files can lead to a device building, so you need to be clear about what to touch and what to leave alone. Below is a table showing the approximate distribution of data types within this section.
| Type of data | Description | Can I remove it? |
|---|---|---|
| Cash app. | Temporary files for fast downloading of social networks and games | Yes, it's safe. |
| Logs of the system | Error and service reporting | Yeah, but they'll be created again. |
| Remnants of remote games | Cash packs and data after uninstallation | Yeah, we need to remove. |
| System libraries | Files required to run the interface | No, it's dangerous to the system. |
⚠️ Warning: Never attempt to delete files from root system folders through root file managers unless you are an experienced user. MIUI.
Automatic cleaning with built-in tools
The safest and first step to take is to use the regular Cleanup tool, which is integrated into the Xiaomi Security app, which allows you to remove obvious debris without affecting important settings, but it often fails to handle deep cache, leaving much of the Other section intact.
To start the process, you need to open the Security app and click on the Cleanup button, the system will analyze the files and suggest that you delete the temporary data, and if after this procedure the volume of the Other partition decreased slightly, then the main memory eaters have hidden deeper.
It's also worth checking your storage settings. Go to Settings → Phone → Storage. It can tell you which apps take up the most space. It often turns out that instant messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp store gigabytes of media files that are formally app-related but visually inflate the overall metrics.
☑️ Checking before hand cleaning
You don't have to count on one button to solve all the problems. Android is so that it tends to use the space available for caching, so once cleaned, the partition can start to grow again, which is normal behavior of the system, aimed at optimizing performance.
Manual cleaning through the file manager
A more advanced method involves using the built-in Explorer app, where you can visually see which folders take up the most space. Pay attention to the Android directory, namely the data and obb folders. This is where game data and app cache are stored.
When removing the contents of folders inside Android/data Be careful: you can reset your game progress or your app settings, but old folders from games that have already been deleted can be erased. They often remain tails and take up space in the Other section».
- 📁 Open Explorer and go to Download folder – there are often forgotten installers. APK documents.
- 🗑️ Check the folder. DCIM/.thumbnails — It's a hidden cache of a gallery miniature that can weigh a few gigabytes.
- 💬 Go to Telegram or WhatsApp settings and clear the cache inside the app itself, not through the system.
⚠️ Note:.obb files are game data, and if you delete them for the game, the next time you run them, they'll have to re-download gigabytes of data.
Another effective way is to find duplicates. Often users download the same files several times. Xiaomi's built-in Explorer has a duplicate search feature that will help free up space. MIUI → debug_log, if it exists, and remove the contents, as it is debugging logs.
Use of Developer Mode and ADB
For users who are not afraid of technical terms, there is a method of cleaning through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to remove the cache of system applications that is not available by conventional methods, but it requires connecting to a computer and enabling debugging mode over USB.
First, you need to activate the developer mode. → About the phone and seven times quickly click on the build number MIUI. Then, the "Developers" option will appear in the "Advanced Settings" menu. USB».
adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999This command forcibly cuts the cache of all applications to the lowest possible value, and this is one of the most effective ways to combat the bloated "Other" partition, but once you reboot, the system can start filling the cache again to speed up the work.
What to do if your computer can’t see your phone?
Note that ADB requires care, and incorrect commands can lead to the removal of important system components, and if you are not sure about your actions, it is better to limit yourself to software cleaning methods inside the smartphone itself.
Specificity of messengers: Telegram and WhatsApp
In the case of Telegram, the cache can take up to 10-20 GB of memory, formally being in the “Other” or “Apps” section, the problem is that Telegram stores all the photos and videos viewed locally.
To solve this problem, open Telegram settings, go to Data and Memory → Memory Use. Here you can click on Clear Cache and, more importantly, set automatic deletion of media files, for example, in 3 days or a week, which will prevent future memory problems.
- 🚀 Enable the function "Autodelete" for the cache in the settings of the messenger.
- 📂 On WhatsApp, go to “Storage” in the chat settings and delete large files sent many times.
- ⚙️ Turn off auto-save to the gallery for all chats so media doesn’t duplicate in the system.
WhatsApp users also often forget that chat backups can be stored locally.check the WhatsApp/Databases folder.There may be old copies from past weeks that are no longer needed, as the current copy is usually synced to Google Drive.
Radical measures: Resetting and reflashing
If neither method worked and the Other continues to take up an absurd amount of space (e.g., 40-50GB on a 64GB device), there may be a buildup of errors in the file system, in which case the most effective solution is a full factory reset.
Before you run Factory Reset, make sure to save all your important data to your computer or the cloud, and this procedure will completely delete all user data, including photos, contacts and apps, returning the phone to the “out of the box” state, while the “Other” section disappears as the file system is formatted again.
You can reset via Settings menu → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset → Reset. Once rebooted, the phone will run faster and the memory will be distributed correctly. This is the only way to ensure that you get rid of system junk that is not amenable to normal cleaning.
💡
A complete reset is a last resort, but it guarantees 100% cleaning of the Other partition and eliminating logical errors of the file system.
⚠️ Warning: After the reset, the system will re-index files and update applications. During the first hours of operation, the phone may warm and discharge quickly - this is normal, give it time to complete the background processes.
In rare cases, the problem may lie in the hardware of the drive or a particular firmware version. If even after a reset, the problem returns instantly, you should consider updating or, conversely, rolling back the version. MIUI/HyperOS computer.
Prevention of memory overflow
In order not to face the problem of space shortage in the future, it is recommended to develop a habit of regularly checking the storage. Do not bring the memory filling to 100% - this critically reduces the flash memory resource and the speed of the smartphone as a whole.
Use cloud services to store photos and videos. Set up automatic sync with Google Photos or Yandex.Disk with the function “free up space” will store the originals in the cloud, leaving only compressed copies on the device or completely deleting them.
- 📅 Once a month, review installed applications and remove those that you do not use.
- ☁️ Set up automatic cache cleanup in the Security app on schedule.
- 📵 Avoid installing apps from unknown sources that may create hidden files.
Keeping these simple rules in mind will keep your Xiaomi running for years to come, and remember that the operating system needs free space (at least 10-15% of the total) to work properly on temporary files and updates.